Refrigerator shelf appliance



g- 1932- 1.. s. SHAUER ET AL 1,879,593

REFRIGERATOR SHELF APPLIANCE Filed March 11, 1951 FIEQQ.

O O O O O O O I l X I w 27 3 is 22 Ev /5 7 v INVENTQRS Louis 51 Shane;- Ros'e S77auef AZZM/ W Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS S. SHAUER AND ROSE SI-IAUER, OF LOS AN GELES, CALIFORNIA REFRIGERATOR SHELF APPLIANCE Application filed March 11, 1931. Serial No. 521,646.

Our invention relates to a refrigerator shelf appliance and such may be considered as a further development of our Patent No. 1,687 ,149 for a refrigerator revolving receptacle, patented October 9, 1928.

One of the main objects of this invention is to increase the facility for storing and removing articles from a refrigerator and, in addition, to make. use of the standard shelves which are provided with a refrigerator and the bottom space in the cooling chamber for the storage of food.

Our invention pertains to revolving types ,of receptacles, these being readily revoluble so that articles may be readily inserted in one of the trays or receptacles at the front and the tray may be packed quite full of articles, and by merely revolving the tray the articles maybe brought into convenient '90 position to the door.

A particular object and feature of our invention is adapting the revolving receptacle to the standard wire shelves of a refrigerator and also to the floor or bottom of the :5 food storage chamber, and to effect this we utilize an auxiliary shelf or tray which is adapted to be attached to the usual wire I shelves of the refrigerator or'to be secured to the bottom of the refrigerator. Revolubly mounted in this auxiliary shelf or tray there is a shallow, fiat receptacle preferably provided with a rim and this is centered in the auxiliary shelf to rotate therein. Therefore, the auxiliary tray and the receptacle may be utilized in refrigerators now in use. Various features of our invention pertain to the manner of attaching the auxiliary shelf to the standard Wire shelves and to the bottom of the refrigerator, also to the pivotal mounting of the receptacle for the food, and the manner of supporting this on the auxiliary shelf. I

Qur invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a refrigerator invention attached to the bottom of a refrigerator;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing the manner of attachment of the auxiliary shelf to one of the wires of a standard shelf;

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 2, showing the manner of attachment of the auxiliary shelf to one of the side wires of the standard shelf;

Fig. 7 is a detail, vertical section on the line 77 of Fig. 3, showing the central pivot of the auxiliary shelf and the rotatable receptacle.

In our invention a standard refrigerator is indicated by the numeral 11, this having a refrigerating chamber 12, with a series of shelves 13 therein, these shelves being sup ported on small brackets 14. 15 indicates the bottom or floor of the cooling chamber of the receptacle. It is customary to form the standard shelves 18- of wire, these having an outside frame 16 with transverse wires 17. The transverse wires generally run across the shortest measurement of the frame and such frames are usually rectangular.

Our invention comprises an auxiliary shelf or tray 18. This has a circular bottomsection 19 with an upstanding peripheral flange 20; the flange has, in preference, a head 20'. This auxiliary shelf has a central pivot socket 21 which is illustrated as having a socket structure 22 formed by bending a" central portion 23 of the bottom section 19 upwardly and then downwardly in the center. The pivot socket is preferably coned downwardly.

In order to attach the auxiliary shelf to the wire shelves there are a series of downwardly pressed sections 24:. These have jaws 25 which engage the wires 17 and may be clamped to such wires. by die pressing and slitting the metal of the bottom of the auxiliary shelf; To engage the side wires of the frame 16 there is a gripping strip 26 which is formed by slitting a section 27 of the bottom of the auxiliary shelf, pressing this downwardly and bending it around one of the side wires of the frame 16. Therefore, by these two engagements with the standard shelf, the auxiliary shelf is prevented from movement in any direction properly centered in the cooling portion of the refrigerator.

The auxiliary shelf is provided with a series of perforations 28 in the metal bottom 19 and also, preferably, a series of perforations 29 in the rim 20, this allowing for free circulation of air.

' The auxiliary shelf which fits on the bottom of the refrigerator is, preferably, attached b screws 30. In this case the jaws 25 are not ormed or need not be pressed downwardly, neither is the strip 26, thus the lower auxiliary shelf rests fiat on the bottom of the refrigerator.

The revoluble receptacle 31 is formed with a bottom disk 32 and an annular rim 33, this, preferably, having a bead 34.

The bottom section has a central pivot depression 35 which is formed by pressing partof the center downwardly to fit with the pivot socket 22 of the auxiliary shelf. There are a series of downwardly pressed nubs 36 of the metal forming the bottom of the revoluble receptacle and these bear on the upper surface of the auxiliary shelf, such nubs being located that in rotation of the rotary tom disk in a horizontal plane.

receptacle the nubs will not engage in any of the perforations in such auxiliary shelf. They maintain the receptacle with the bot- This receptacle is provided with a series of perforations 37 in the disk and 38 in the side flange.

By the above construction the standard shelves of the refrigerator may be utilized. The auxiliary shelves are clamped in place on the wires of the standard shelf and also by being attached to the bottom of the refrigerator. The revoluble receptacles are all of the same character and are readily insertable and removable, remaining in place merely by their own weight. With the type of mounting we have provided it is unnecessary to provide ball or roller bearings or the equivalent.

The space at the corners of the shelves and the bottom of the refrigerator may be utilized for storage, thisbeing convenient for the placing of bottles and the like or articles which are not frequently required. The flange 20 on the auxiliary shelf or tray pre- Such jaws are made vents such articles from coming in contact with the rim of the rotatable receptacle, thus forming, in effect, a guard.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of our invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A shelf appliance comprising a tray formed of sheet material'and having a substantially flat bottom section with a central socket formed therein, a disk-like receptacle having a central depression fitting in said socket, said receptacle being rotatable on the tray, the socket and projection forming a pivot, said socket being formed above the plane of the bottom section of-the tray, and said projection on the receptacle extending downwardly below the plane of the disk of said receptacle.

2. A shelf appliance having a circular tray formed of sheet material, and having a central pivot socket formed with a central portion extending downwardly and a portion immediately adjacent being above the plane of the circular tray, a disk-like receptacle formed of sheet material having a downwardly extending central portion forming a downward projection to fit in the said socket, the said receptacle being rotatable with the socket and the projection acting as a pivot.

3. A shelf appliance as claimed in claim 2, the receptacle having downwardly projecting nubs to bear upon the upper surface of the portion of the tray outside of the central pivot and the portion adjacent thereto.

4. A shelf appliance having a circular tray formed of sheet material, said sheet having the major portion in a horizontal plane and with a central annular upwardly extending portion with a socket formed therein, the bottom of the. socket being on the same plane as the outer portion of the tray, a circular receptacle made in the form of a disk of sheet material and having the main portion in a plane parallel to the plane of the tray, having a central downwardly pressed projection to fit in the socket and form with the socket a pivot for the rotation of the receptacle.

5. A shelf appliance as claimed in claim 4,

the tray having swivel sections with clownwardly pressed parts, said parts being adapted to engage a shelf having openings nular rim and having a downwardly projecting central portion forming with the socket a pivot, the receptacle having perforations, and the tray having slits formed therein with downwardly pressed parts for attachment to shelf,

A shelf appliance having a circular tray med of sheet material having a central ivot and having aws on the bottom adapted o engage wires of a shelf to retain the tray in position on the shelf, a disk-like receptacle formed of sheet material having complementary pivot to engage that on the tray to rotate the receptacle relative to the A shelf appliance having a tray formed sheet material with centra vot, said tray having downwardly extending aws to e -r e cross wires of a shelf, marginal front wire of a shelf, a

like receptacle formed of sheet material having a central pivot in erengaging i the pivot of the tray to rotate the receplon the tray, interengaging nnhs between the tray and the receptacle to balance the reeptacle on a tray, said receptacle having a circular rim and being provided with perforations in the rim and in the dish-like portion of the tray.

A shelf appliance having a s eet metal tray with a series of perforations and a plurality of jaws formed by pressing part of the material downwardly and having a marginal strip pressed downwardly to engage wires of a shelf to secure the tray in firm position on such shelf, a disk-like receptacle having a plurality of perforations, interengaging socket and projection structure on the tray and the receptacle to form a central pivot for rotation of the receptacle on the tray, interengaging nulos between the receptacle and the tray to retain the receptacle in the horizontal position.

11. A shelf appliance having a circular tray formed of sheet material with a central downwardly pressed socket having a series of perforations and downwardly extending aws to engage the wires of a shelf to hold the tray non-movable on a shelf, a dislelike receptacle formed of sheet material and having a central downward projection to lit in said socket, the receptacle having a plane surface with perforations therethrough and a marginal circular rim, there being a series of nabs inter: engaging between the receptacle and the tray to hold the receptacle horizontally with reference to the tray.

12. A shelf appliance having a circular tray formed of sheet material, said tray having a raised portion adjacent the center with a downwardly extending socket, the remaining portion being in a plane except for an encircling rim, said tray having a series of perforations in the plane portion, said plane portion having a plurality of jaws formed of downwardly pressed portions, and a marginal downwardly pressed strip, the aws and the strip being adapted to engage wires of a shelf, a disk-like receptacle having the major portion in a plane with a downward central projection to fit in the socket to form a pivot for rotation, the plane portion on the receptacle having a series of perforations and having downwardly extending nubs to engage the tray, said receptacle having a circular rim fitting inside the rim of the tray.

in testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

lJQ UlS S. SHAKER. ROSE SHAUER. 

